Kyrgyzstan
The mountains, including the Tian Shan Mountains (pictured), give Kyrgyzstan a unique
culture, partially formed from this isolation from the mountains.
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Food, Dining, & Drinks in Turkey

Culinary Influences

Turkish delights

Turkish food has evolved with the Turkish people, who emigrated
from Central Asia thousands of years ago. Central Asian food is heavily biased towards
simplicity and basic, but strong-flavored ingredients like meats, particularly lamb
plus animal byproducts like dairy, with less emphasis on vegetables and fruits.

After moving to Anatolia, the Turks allowed surrounding influences
to change their diets. Most significantly, they integrated multiple Middle Eastern
spices and cooking techniques and incorporated Mediterranean ingredients, including
many vegetables. This food developed and became more complex over time as the Ottoman
Empire grew and improved communication with outsiders.

Staple Foods

There are no real staple foods in Turkey, although nearly
all meals contain a meat, such as lamb, or fish and a few vegetables, particularly
eggplant and tomato. Other common ingredients include various nuts and spices.

Black Sea Coast: uses a lot of seafoodSouth Turkey: integrates a lot of Lebanese and Mediterranean food
along with kebabs and mezeCentral Turkey: integrates a lot of wheat

Dining Etiquette

Doner kebab

Turkey is a social country and dining is one of the most
social parts of the day for most Turks. Meals are meant to be enjoyed, both the
food and the company so meals may take hours to finish. Even business dinners are
intended for socialization and discussing business is taboo; the intention of these
meals is to build relationships, not to close a deal.

Dining in homes requires you arrive on time and remove your shoes, plus in more
conservative homes men and women dine separately, however, as a very liberal Muslim
country, this trend is growing more uncommon each year and today it is extremely
rare to be asked to dine with only company of the same sex (this is more common
in the eastern part of the country and even there it is uncommon). If you are a
guest in a house, bring some sweets and have a gift for the family's children
if they have any. If you're dining in a restaurant, you may find yourself dining
with strangers, politely ignore them as the locals do.

As the food is served, the greatest compliment you can offer is to insist that the
older men and more senior diners are served before you. They will insist that you
are their guest and you be served first, but your insistence that the older men
are served first will be greatly appreciated.

Different foods in Turkey have different customs, while most
foods are eaten with utensils (cutlery), some, like chicken are traditionally eaten
with your hands. Others, like pork are rarely served since Turkey is primarily a
Muslim country. The best route is to follow the lead of your hosts, but if eating
with your hands, only bring food to your mouth with your right hand.

Baklava

If the meal is being accompanied by a beverage, never fill your own glass. Your
neighbor will fill your glass and you are expected to return the favor. As you finish
your plate (and finish everything on your plate), feel free to ask for more food,
this is a compliment to the host. Before dessert there tends to be a break, which
is often times used as a smoking break.

As the meal comes to an end the host takes the bill and everyone takes either coffee
or Turkish tea, which is similar to hot apple cider. Even if you invited your guests,
many Turks may consider you their guest since you're in their country; if you
initiated the dinner you will have to insist on paying and may have to tell your
server that you are paying or your guests will try to pay the bill. As you argue
over who will pay, be careful to stop drinking your coffee or tea before reaching
the bottom; these are unfiltered and have leaves or grounds on the bottom.

If dining without any locals, summon the waiter or waitress by making eye contact;
waving or calling a server over can be considered rude. Tipping in
Turkey is similar to much of Europe, about 10% for
sit down restaurants.

Drinks

Turkish tea

The most common drink foreigners will encounter in Turkey
is Turkish tea, which is similar to hot apple cider and it is offered at nearly
every coffee shop. Coffee is also popular; it tends to be very strong and unfiltered
though so be warned. For a more traditional drink, try ayran, which is
a watered-down yogurt with salt. In addition to these, all the popular international
drinks are available, including soft drinks, juices, and milk.

As a primarily Muslim country many people in Turkey don't drink alcohol, however
Turkey is very liberal in this regard and most young Turks
do drink alcohol, particularly in large cities along the west coast. The most popular
alcoholic beverages are beer and raki, an anise-flavored alcohol. There
are a number of locally produced beers with the most popular being "Efes."
At many tourist locations other drinks are also widely available, including wines,
hard liquors, and international beers.

There is no consensus on the cleanliness of the tap water in Turkey.
Generally speaking, the tap water is safe to drink, but is heavily chlorinated,
giving it a bad taste. In other areas the water quality is poor, and perhaps unsafe,
so should be avoided. The best course of action is to check with locals for the
cleanliness of the local water or be extra cautious and avoid the tap water entirely.
If you do decide to drink the tap water, remember that many people may have troubles
adjusting to the local water, as it will most certainly be different from what your
system is used to.